In another time and place a war was being waged.
Rancid smoke swept the sky's sweet caress. It blended with the ink that was Sai's flight. The former root operative looked down at the destruction before him.
An explosion rocks the eastern vanguard. Another wave of clones rushed at the scattered shinobi who were still recovering from the blast. Great jets of water from a nearby squad of Mist nin deter the bulk of bodies before too much damage can be done.
From the skies, the battle was flashy but most of the Allied Forces are alive, though present conditions may not last long.
To the west was the bijuu's enormous body: grotesque in its transformation. Giant petals begin to bloom on what can only be assumed as its head. One more transformation was to take place, Naruto warns from the ground.
Sai alights near the blonde jinchuuriki. Or, as near as the waves of jutsu being thrown about might allow. A flair of chakra distracts the ink user. He quickly dispatches his summons to the site before moving on foot to the head of the line where the rest of his team battles. At the edge Sakura has managed her way to Naruto, who was heaving from pain and exhaustion.
Sai can sense the Kyuubi's chakra flicker from him. The damage his body had just taken, was now causing a stain on his reserves.
Ahead of them, Kakashi makes a stop to catch his breath. The unmasked Obito lands on the opposite side, somewhat winded but no worse for wear. It was getting ridiculous how powerful their two opponents were. But the Copy-nin stares down his former teammate with a glint in his eye, like a gear placed at the right spot.
Sai found the posturing indicative. Team 7's leader was on to something, and Sai knew it was only a matter of chance and luck before Kakashi makes a play. The fact that the Copy-nin was sending signals now clearly states that "class participation" was required in this lecture. He eyes the duelling pair for a while more before crouching next to Sakura. The girl had finally managed to drag Naruto off away and had begun her healing.
Atop the great bijuu, Madara gloats at the carnage before him.
The clap of a book shut brings Sakura to the sound of shuffling feet and excited murmurs.
However, it was a pair of raised eyebrows that warranted her immediate attention. Shikamaru was right up front and giving a look as if she had joyously proclaimed Ino and Sasuke's nuptials. Drinks were on her.
For all his procrastinating habits and state of idleness, the Nara heir can compete with a cat's attention span. Abnormally measured staring included.
Excuses had to be made in a rush. And Sakura quickly disentangles herself from the throng of people that began to sweep the aisle, brushing aside the relentless stare of her seatmate. The boy made no move to follow her, however, and she soon found herself trying to catch her breath amidst Konoha's spring time flora. The grounds around the academy were just beginning to thaw, but they air was dry and crisp.
Sakura's unsparing use of chakra earlier that morning had begun to scratch on her pain receptors. A warm heaviness begun to pull at her weight, calling for her back to meet the earth. She was just aware enough to pick a spot under the shade of a tree before happily surrendering to fatigue.
Sakura felt like she'd barely closed her eyes when a rubber soled foot decided she was as good as any rock to scrape dirt off.
"Hey Haruno."
"Kiba-kun, I-I... it's no-not. She won't l-like getting dirt on her..."
"It's not like she'd bite my foot off Hinata."
"It is more accurate to assume of her to regale you with high pitch expletives for having come to a state of... uncleanliness."
"Shut it, Shino."
"Hinata-san, our purpose is done. Kiba is about to get hit."
"Wait, what- ow!" The once proud Inuzuka hunched over his family heirlooms whilst biting down his lip to keep from mouth from sounding the alarm.
The rosette that had been lying down on the grass was now picking at the sandal marks on her calf. The glare Sakura sent Kiba would've made his mother, Tsume, proud. Shino and Hinata had smartly disappeared, leaving the dog loving boy to the mercy of their pink hair classmate.
"Sorry, okay!" Kiba hastily said upon the rosette's advance. Knowing he was beaten, he continued, "just don't! Just stay- or the classroom. Break's almost over. I'lljustgo!"
Sakura sighed. Her body still felt heavy. Add to that the fact of sleeping on uneven ground often results to pins and needles if not numbness. Yup, this day was her best yet!
But her mind was clear. Her nap was untroubled.
Events from the morning were now under swift review in her analytic mind. Conclusion: indefinite. Imprints of her dream were a stone's throw away but shrouded in mist.
Was this deja vu?
Only mystics and the superstitious would call it so. Past lives, they would say: time playing yo-yo with fate as its string. Too bad she had just scared Inuzuka away. His Hyuuga teammate may have a few things to share on the whole foresight thing. Rumours and legends surrounded the arrival of their clan in Konoha during the 2nd Shinobi War. Either way, if the gods were sending her prophetic dreams, Sakura can only wonder why not make things more cryptic? That was how the tales always told it: messages were riddles, prophecies were in rhyme. They don't come packaged as eureka moments in the understanding of chakra or unexplained skill sets.
The rosette can only grin at the realization.
The malleability of chakra was only limited by the imagination, the body's natural affinities aside. The trick was finding the right set of triggers. It must differ form person to person, Sakura mused.
An individual's jutsu arsenal often matches their background and personality traits after all. This train of thought lead to how easy it was for her to shift her chakra to its evasive form for medical use. What does that say about her?
Was she not meant as a front line field operative? Should she seriously consider becoming a career iryou-nin? But...
Sakura shook her contemplations aside. She'd have to more time for self-reflection once home. Jounin-sensei were about to make their introductions and she hasn't even tried to approach her teammates yet. She can only hope, Naruto and Sasuke haven't tried throwing punches at each other yet.
It did not take long for two thirds team 7 to meet. Sakura barely even made it to the school's compound.
The smaller boy had practically been on the lookout for her.
"Hey, Sakura-chan! We're in the same team now. And…" Naruto hesitated and blushed. "Whydon'twego-"
"Sure. Let's go look for Sasuke."
"Ehh!?"
"He's our teammate too, you know," Sakura said testily.
"The bastard doesn't deserve to be gennin! He clearly had his guard down earlier when I jumped him! Obviously not ninja material."
Sakura's eyes narrowed at this. "What did you do, Naruto?"
The blonde actually had the nerve to squeak. "Imight'vetiedandgaggedhimonthebathroomfloor?"
Any further explanations were met with dust and loam. Naruto tried to nurse the growing lump on his head but Sakura had other priorities as she proceeded to drag him by the nape of his shirt to the boys' bathroom.
Which was...
Empty.
Though Naruto will never admit to it, he can figure why. The emo prick of an Uchiha did top their class. Of course, the Kyuubi container had also figured that a certain kunoichi will not take kindly to the news. When did his crush become so… un-cute?
"He's not there is he?"
Naruto caved and smacked in forehead on the wall. The voice that floated from outside did not sound like the patient and demure girl he'd come to admire.
"Sakura-chan. It's time to go back to the class anyways. I'm sure he won't want to miss out in meeting our sensei." the boy braved the corridor with, in his opinion, his most charming smile. In front of him, Sakura merely huffed and led the way back to class, conceding his point. Anymore potential trouble avoided, Naruto went back to planning on impressing his new teammate.
What does she see in the jerk anyway?
Speak of the devil…
Much of the class have already divided up into their respective teams. The girl Naruto was following went giddy in delight at the sight of an empty chair beside the Uchiha. Sasuke scoffed as Sakura immediately went tittering to his side.
Naruto followed with an edge in his step and a frown on his brow. He leapt up the desk and crouched to glare at the arrogant mug all the girls in class went on about.
The blonde couldn't conceive how females were attracted to a face that can pass for a girl. He leaned closer at the equally glaring Uchiha, mere inches now separating them. Or was the opposite sex just more... prone to bend that way. No wonder they fussed and huddled together in the springs! Girls touching girls and- a blush threatened to creep up his face when, WHAM!
Did Sakura just punch him?
The world went spinning as Naruto hurdled towards the teachers' desk and then stopped at a pair of fierce crimson eyes. A hand on his shoulder steadied his frame from crumpling on the floor. Before him was probably one of the most beautiful women his even seen. Dark thick hair framed a pale face and slender neck. She held an aura of quiet confidence and a crease on her brow that will not tolerate any nonsense.
Is this what a jounin is like?
Naruto chanced a glance behind him. From their desk Sakura look mortified. A few rows up was Sasuke, being helped up by another adult. This one was a burly man with a scruff and kind eyes. No one seemed to have seen of sensed them appear, as the class looked just as awed as he was. Sans Sakura, who was now apologizing profusely, and Sasuke, who looked like he was trying to understand why the chicken crossed the road.
Naruto felt a slight squeeze on his shoulder and to his growing surprise the woman offered a slight smile.
At him.
It was genuine and beautiful. And Naruto felt warm around his neck.
"If you've got your balance back, I suggest to go back up and calm your teammate down." the boy meekly nodded and followed her instructions in a daze. He soon had Sakura silent and sitting apart from Sasuke as the rest of the class settled down to listen to the two newcomers.
"My name is Yuuhi Kurenai," the woman began, "I want team 8 at training field 3 in 10 minutes."
"Team 10," the man along the aisle followed, "Communications office roof deck in twenty." with that, both disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving their respective teams to scramble out the door and off the windows.
Fangirls are annoying. It was a fact of life.
They thither and blither about the simplest things. As long as it involved him. But Uchiha Sasuke has learned to put up with fangirls. They were as much a part of life as pop quizzes, onigiri, and unhappy toads in his school bag. Naruto will soon become an increasing part of life that Sasuke is not happy to put up with.
But he will.
He does. As much as he wants to hit the obnoxious blonde right this moment.
Gennin teams are just safety nets for the average and the unaccomplished to cling on. Statistically, teams provide more successful mission turn outs and less marks on the casualty list. However, statistics will always have its exceptions.
Having teammates involved with him is a terrible idea. They are going to be an inconvenience, of that Sasuke was convinced.
It was just after coming to this conclusion that Sasuke found himself sailing from his seat. A brief flash of bright energy was all the warning he regret ignoring before Sakura had flung him past several startled rows of classmates.
The world around him tilted and slowed.
For that brief second he found how it felt like for the numerous boys he sent sailing to the floor during spars. Shocked faces swept past as his eyes landed on the hard concrete his face was quickly about to meet. That was going to hurt. He can stop it from hurting, he knows. Uhh. Right. Arm over head. Curl the spine and tuck the knees… too late.
Stop.
A steady hand had propped him back up on his feet. The smell of cigarettes permeated from the man behind him. A jounin.
Naruto, he sees, had gone through a shared experience. A woman kindly chastising him.
A few short commands later, six pairs of feet were out the door and Sasuke was back on his seat. A surprisingly meditative Naruto sat right next to him, and a distressed and fidgety Sakura after.
His gennin cell.
Team Seven.
Sasuke couldn't wait to become chuunin.